Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to telecommunications, and more particularly, to phase-locked loops.
In telecommunications, it is desirable to synchronize the phase of an incoming signal with the phase of a reference clock. This is commonly achieved through use of a variable frequency oscillator (VFO), which may for example include a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and a phase-locked loop. The VCO may serve as the reference clock and be variable over a wide band of frequencies. The phase-locked loop may serve as the device that synchronizes the incoming signal's phase with the phase of the VCO. Phase noise, however, may be present in both signals, which may cause an undesirable phase-noise jitter in the output of the device. Phase noise may refer to frequency domain representation of random fluctuations in the phase of a waveform. Jitter may reduce the reliability and/or data rates of telecommunication circuits.
It is desirable to implement methods and/or devices to improve VCO and/or phase-locked loop performance, for example for use in a telecommunication circuit.